


live fast and die young (the bad decisions that we made)

by Fives (janfives90)



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Space AU, War AU, warnings: guns; knives; violence; explosions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:01:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24990481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: “I’m the best pilot here, Lys.”“Well, I know that, but-”Emma turns on her heel, facing her. “Kaylee’s out there,” she says softly. “Shelby’s not going to say it, but you know that this is killing her. She’ll feel a whole lot better if one of us went out and made sure she came back in one piece.”Alyssa glances around at their surroundings before reaching up and setting her palm against Emma’s cheek. “You’d better come back in one piece, too, Nolan.”“I always do.”
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	live fast and die young (the bad decisions that we made)

_ “Oh, wow,” Alyssa whispers as she steps off the starship and onto the dusty blue-gray planet. _

_ “It’s pretty cool, right?” _

_ She turns her head as a girl stops next to her, dressed in a blue, black, and grey camouflage uniform. “Yeah,” Alyssa says. “It is cool.” _

_ “You new to the academy?” _

_ “Sort of. I’ve been taking a lot of classes on the ship, but it got diverted a few times. My whole brigade spent its first year solely in space, not on-planet.” _

_ The girl shrugs. “That’s cool, too.” She holds out her hand for Alyssa to shake. “Cadet Emma Nolan. Air Force.” _

_ Alyssa takes her hand back quickly. “Air Force?” _

_ Emma grins. “Yeah.” _

_ “Oh, so you’re going to be flying around like a jackass while the Army does the hard work?” _

_ “The hard work? You mean the work that doesn’t require any talent, Cadet…?” _

_ “Alyssa Greene. And I have  _ plenty _ of talent, thank you  _ very _ much.” _

_ “Is that so?” Emma shrugs and puts her hands in the pockets of her uniform. “I guess you’ll have to prove it to me.” _

_ “Oh, I will, Nolan. Just you wait.” _

* * *

Emma groans against Alyssa’s skin as an emergency siren blares throughout the base. “Someone better be dying,” she mutters.

“Em,” Alyssa laughs, scolding.

“What? This is like the fourth time this week that we’ve been interrupted.”

“Mm.” Alyssa cups Emma’s face in her hands and pulls her back up her body, kissing her softly. “Get better timing, then, baby.”

“I’m going to build a bunker.”

“A what?”

Emma gets out of bed with a huff and grabs her uniform, putting it on clumsily. “A bunker. Soundproof. With a bunch of locks on it. We’ll just hide in there and leave Gonzales in charge for a few hours and nobody will be able to bother us, not even the damn Harpies.”

Alyssa rolls her eyes as she gets up and starts to get dressed as well. “They’re the United Army of Corazo.”

“Sure. And all they do is harp on us about their bullshit ideas, so, Harpies.”

“I think that just makes them dicks.”

Emma does an over-dramatic gasp. “Why,  _ General Greene, _ are you insulting the enemy? That’s so beneath you.”

“You’re right. It is. It’s something you’d do.”

Emma snorts and opens the door. “Gladly, sweetheart. Gladly.”

* * *

_ “Cadet Greene!” _

_ Alyssa sighs as she turns around, folding her arms across her chest. “Nolan. What do you want?” _

_ “Nothing much. How’s life in the-” Emma makes a face “-Army.” _

_ “Better than the Air Force.” _

_ “Oh yeah? Why do you say that?” _

_ “Because it’s not the Air Force.” _

_ Emma puts a hand over her heart and staggers. “Oh. How shall I ever recover from such a hurtful blow?” _

_ Alyssa rolls her eyes. “You’re a moron.” _

_ “Well, you did say the other day that I didn’t need a brain to fly an airplane.” _

_ “I didn’t…” Alyssa pauses. “Did I say that?” _

_ “Yep.” _

_ “Oh. Well…” She pauses again, then shakes her head. “No, no, I was right.” _

_ “Ouch. Just when I thought maybe you’d say something nice to me.” _

_ Alyssa snorts. “Never.” _

* * *

“Gonzales, status!” Alyssa asks as she jogs up the steps to the mission control hub.

Colonel Shelby Gonzales paces between workstations, barking orders at the soldiers working at their stations. She turns to Alyssa in a moment’s pause. “There’s a large unit of Harp- er, UAC forces approaching the border, General.”

“What’s down there?”

“Almost no one. It’s not a very active fighting area.” Shelby’s voice gets small. “Colonel Klein is there with her team, trying to get that downed P-26-N out of the sand.”

Alyssa sets a hand on her shoulder and squeezes, a small touch of comfort, then looks at Emma. “Opinions?”

“They’re moving pretty slow, but if they get any ideas, I don’t think you’ll get an Army unit out there fast enough. I’ll take some of mine.” Emma turns and hurries off of the platform before Alyssa can respond.

“Hold on.” Alyssa follows her.  _ “You?” _

“I’m the best pilot here, Lys.”

“Well, I know that, but-”

Emma turns on her heel, facing her. “Kaylee’s out there,” she says softly. “Shelby’s not going to say it, but you know that this is killing her. She’ll feel a whole lot better if one of us went out and made sure she came back in one piece.”

Alyssa glances around at their surroundings before reaching up and setting her palm against Emma’s cheek. “You’d better come back in one piece, too, Nolan.”

“I always do.” Emma leans in, pressing a quick kiss to Alyssa’s lips, then turns and runs to the hanger.

* * *

_ “I just think it’s interesting,” Emma says as she sits down with Kaylee on a small wall near the training yard, ready to eat their lunches. “There’s so much that needs to go into the mechanics to make a plane that works great in Earth’s atmosphere work on a planet like Corazo, but our bodies have adapted just fine. It’s-” _

_ Something catches her attention out of the corner of her eye, and she turns. _

_ And stares. _

_ Alyssa is running one of the training courses, in boots, her uniform pants, and a tank top. She’s sweaty and covered in dust and dirt, and her muscles are very much on display as she jumps from the top of a climbing wall to a rope to swing across a gap before getting down to do push-ups. _

_ “Hey, Nolan?” _

_ “Hm?” Emma mumbles. _

_ “I think you’re drooling.” _

_ Emma snaps out of it, turning back to Kaylee and feeling a blush on her cheeks. “I-I am not.” _

_ Kaylee smirks as she tears off a piece of her sandwich. “You’re looking to go Army?” _

_ “No.” _

_ “Who would’ve thought that dirt and sweat would be a turn on for you?” _

_ “Please fuck off.” _

_ “Hm.” Kaylee shrugs and pops the bit of her lunch into her mouth. “No. I don’t think I will.” _

* * *

Alyssa stands in the control hub, watching digital planes track across a computer screen. “What do they have, General Nolan?”

Emma’s voice comes through the speakers from the radio in her plane.  _ “A lot of shit. I can’t tell what’s going on from up here. I might strafe them. See if I can get a better visual and get them to turn around while I’m at it.” _

“Negative. They’re still in their own territory. If you do that, they’ll just attack you.”

_ “I’d kind of prefer they attack me now than attack the weakest part of the border later.” _

Alyssa bites her lip. “Do you have those speakers installed?”

_ “Yeah. I’ve never exactly been the political one between the two of us, though.” _

“Don’t I know it. Just try your best. See what happens if you offer them a warning that they’re approaching our border and we won’t tolerate trespassers.”

_ “You got it, General.” _

There’s a long pause, Alyssa rubbing at her mouth as she watches the combat screen. Then, to her horror, her planes begin to disappear off the map.

“What the fuck is happening? What the  _ fuck _ is happening? Gonzales!”

Shelby shoves a lieutenant out of the way so she can access his computer, bringing up diagnostics and cursing. “Three of ours just went down.”

Emma’s voice crackles back through, and Alyssa’s stomach sinks into her boots when she hears panic that she’s never heard before.  _ “It’s- shit, goddammit -it’s a fucking ambush. It’s not troops! It’s some kind of big anti-aircraft machine that’s disguised as- fuck!” _

“General? General Nolan?” Alyssa grips the back of her chair, her voice turning desperate.  _ “Emma!” _

She gets no response as the last plane on the monitor in front of her blinks out of existence.

* * *

_ “What are you doing?” _

_ Alyssa jumps, mumbling a string of incoherent curses as she spins around with a raised fist. _

_ Emma just looks at her, unimpressed. “That wasn’t a very good response time, all in all, Cadet.” _

_ “Fuck you.” _

_ What’s nearly a smile flickers briefly over Emma’s lips. “Alyssa Greene, top of her class… sneaking out? I’d never have guessed.” _

_ Alyssa pales. “You can’t tell anyone.” _

_ “Why would I tell anyone?” _

_ “Because you’re… I don’t know, you’re  _ you _ , Nolan.” _

_ “And that means I’d report you AWOL for one stupid night? Geez, Greene, you get on my nerves but I don’t  _ hate _ you.” Emma sticks her hands into her pockets. “Where are you going, anyway?” _

_ “I…” Alyssa looks down. “You wouldn’t understand.” _

_ “Try me.” _

_ “I just… I’ve never really gotten the chance to look at the stars here. I’d like to.” _

_ “Well, you might just be in luck, Cadet. I happen to know an excellent place to go to see them. And as a bonus, there’s an easy path to get there that’s pretty minimal risk when you’re sneaking out.” _

_ Alyssa blinks. “You’ve done it before?” _

_ “You aren’t exactly the first person in history to get a little stir-crazy here, Greene.” Emma takes Alyssa’s hand and pulls her in a different direction. “Come on. Let me show you what you’ve been missing.” _

* * *

Emma’s mechanics and the handful of Alyssa’s soldiers who had been with them return to base in ragged clusters. Shelby dutifully stands at her post, her body vibrating with nerves, until Alyssa has a major temporarily take over and sends her to look for her girlfriend.

Alyssa, meanwhile, stands silent in the control hub, watching the chaos around her.

She hasn’t seen a single one of the pilots who left with Emma, let alone the woman she loves.

Kaylee staggers in at the back of the last group of mechanics, her uniform covered in mud and blood. Her goggles are still on her face, and, when she lifts them, Alyssa can see pure exhaustion in her eyes.

_ “Kaylee!” _ Shelby sprints out of a different group and hugs her so hard she picks her up. “Oh, God. Oh, God. Are you okay? Jesus, where did all this blood come from?”

“I got grazed, but it’s not bad,” Kaylee says, one hand favoring a rip in her uniform near her ribs. “Fuckers opened up after they took down the planes, then just turned around and left. It was like they were playing with us. The blood could be from anything. Lieutenant Matthews was shot down first and his plane crashed onto Gamma Unit. Blew up their construction equipment. It’s a fucking hellscape out there.”

Alyssa walks down the steps to get closer to them. “The other pilots. Where are they?”

Kaylee shakes her head. “Dead. They’ve gotta be dead. Whatever the Harpies built, it seemed like it disabled the plane with one shot and then a second shot blew it up. They couldn’t eject. Even if they didn’t get shot down, crashing at that speed? It’s not-”

“You didn’t check?”

Kaylee blinks at her, taken aback by the anger in Alyssa’s voice. “General, we couldn’t. The Harpies were still on the other side of the border, and I had badly injured people to get home.”

“And we have  _ pilots _ whose  _ bodies _ you just  _ left out in the desert,” _ Alyssa snarls, so loudly that the entire room falls into a stunned silence.

“Lys,” Shelby says softly. “It’s not her fault.”

Alyssa swallows, trying to fight back the tears, trying to stop herself from crying in front of her soldiers. “I know it’s not,” she murmurs. “It’s mine.” She turns on her heel and leaves as quickly as she can as the sobs break into her throat.

* * *

_ “See that really bright cluster of stars up there?” _

_ “The like four stars real close together with the two really bright ones on either side?” _

_ “Mhm. Connect it to the star above it and below it, and you have the constellation Paichnidi, the Dog Toy.” _

_ “The… dog toy.” _

_ “Yeah. The honorable toy of Vrachos, Hades’ lesser known pet Pomeranian.” _

_ Alyssa snorts out a laugh. “You’re making this up.” _

_ “Oh, absolutely.” _

_ “This is why we don’t get along, Nolan.” _

_ “Here I thought you  _ liked _ my charm.” _

_ “Don’t kid yourself. You’re a half-decent pilot, and that’s it.” _

_ “Half-decent? Cadet Greene, that’s almost a compliment.” _

_ Alyssa elbows her. “Shut up.” _

_ “Nah.” Emma stretches and puts her hands behind her head. “Is this what you wanted? The stars, I mean.” _

_ “You know, it is. Thank you for this. I really needed the air.” _

_ “Did you do this a lot on Earth?” _

_ “I’ve never actually been on Earth. My mother is a doctor on the  _ J.M. Indiana _. I was born there, grew up there.” Alyssa turns her head. “What about you?” _

_ “Ironically, I was born in the regular old Indiana. My parents ditched me to go work on some get-rich-quick schemes on Mars when I was about five, and my grandparents decided that they wanted me to have a different environment, so they took a farming opportunity out on Edgewater. I grew up there.” _

_ “How did that lead to the Air Force?” _

_ “My grandfather was having trouble paying the cropdusters, so I solved the problem by learning how to fly the plane myself when I was about thirteen.” Emma shrugs. “After that, it was just… Where else was I going to go? This is the only place I could go that I could afford, and I don’t mind the order and discipline. Besides. It’s not like we’re really fighting a war out here.” _

_ “Yet.” _

_ Emma scoffs. “That’s optimistic.” _

_ “I’m just saying. You never know.” _

_ “There’s nothing to fight, Greene. What’s going to happen? Imaginary aliens? We gonna start fighting ourselves?” _

_ “Just… Please. Don’t brush it off. It makes me nervous when people brush it off.” _

_ Emma pauses, staring at the stars above them. “Okay, Greene,” she says softly. _

* * *

“General. Permission to be blunt.”

“You’ve never asked for permission before, Gonzales.”

“I’ve never needed to be this blunt before.”

Alyssa looks up at Shelby, leaning in the doorway of her room as she shoves supplies into a backpack. “If you’re going to tell me not to do this, save it.”

Shelby takes a step into the room, letting the door slide shut behind her. “Alyssa,” she says quietly. “There’s probably not even a  _ body.” _

“Don’t.” Alyssa holds up a hand. “Don’t you fucking  _ dare _ say that to me.”

“I’m telling you the  _ truth, _ dammit! Thompson’s plane  _ disintegrated _ on impact! You’re asking me to let our only remaining general go out into enemy territory to look for a  _ ghost!” _

“She’s still  _ out there, _ Shelby!” Alyssa’s voice breaks, and she knows she’s crying. “Damn you, she’s still out there. I can’t send someone else to do it. It has to be me, because if there isn’t a body to bring back I have to see that for myself. Please.  _ Please.” _

“You’re not thinking straight,” Shelby says slowly.

“Of course I’m not! She’s my  _ wife.” _ Alyssa sits down on her bed, staring down at her ring. “I can’t leave her out there, Shelby. Please. You know Emma would do the same for me.”

“Yeah, because you’re both morons.”

“You’d do the same for Kaylee.”

“Yeah, because I’m a moron, too.” Shelby sighs and rubs at her face. “What do you need me to do?”

Alyssa looks up at her. “I need you to be the commanding officer at the base until I get back. And I-I need… I need Kaylee to be the commanding officer of the Air Force division until I get back, too.”

“Okay. We can do that.” Shelby grits her teeth and looks down. “What happens if… I mean, do you have a time limit on how long you’ll be gone, or…”

“I’m going to take one of the smaller, faster vehicles. We lost five planes behind the lines, and we know that at least one body is definitely unrecoverable. If by some miracle I find the other four, I’ll be able to fit them all into one of those. It’ll still be a bit slow, though. At least two or three days. Beyond that, I…” Alyssa bites her lip. “I don’t know, Shelby,” she whispers. “You know the mission. You know what needs to be done. If I don’t come back, it’s up to you.”

“I don’t really like that answer, Alyssa.”

“I know you don’t.” Alyssa puts a few last things into her bag before standing up and putting it on her shoulder. “But it’s the answer I need you to accept.”

* * *

_ Emma laughs as Alyssa knocks Shelby onto the training mat. “That’s almost unfair, Greene.” _

_ Alyssa’s eyes lift to her. “Oh yeah? Do you want to give it a try, Nolan?” _

_ “I don’t know, I’m not sure you’d do so well if you tried to punch my plane.” _

_ “Without your plane, hotshot. Or are you a coward?” _

_ “Okay, that’s a dirty shot,” Emma says, stepping onto the mat as Kaylee helps Shelby off of it. _

_ “Yeah, I know.” Alyssa grins. “I’d apologize, but it worked.” _

_ “Ass,” Emma mutters as she reaches towards Alyssa. _

_ “I have a pretty nice one, thanks for noticing.” _

_ Emma pales and freezes. _

_ Alyssa grabs her wrist and pulls her forward, then flips her onto her back. _

_ “Ow.” _

_ “You didn’t exactly put your money where your mouth is, Nolan,” Alyssa teases. _

_ Emma stares up at her, lost for words. _

_ Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “Are you okay? It was one flip.” _

_ “You’re pretty,” Emma mumbles stupidly. _

_ She swears Alyssa blushes. “Okay, well, Nolan has a concussion.” _

_ “Maybe I’m dying,” Emma says, hopeful. _

_ “You’re not dying.” _

_ “Damn.” _

_ Kaylee coughs in a way that Emma knows is covering a snicker. “I’m going to get her back to our barracks.” _

_ Alyssa clears her throat and nods, taking a small step back. “Probably for the best.” _

_ Kaylee reaches down and hauls Emma to her feet, helping support her weight as they walk towards the Air Force barracks. “That was real smooth, Nolan.” _

_ “Please kill me. It wouldn’t be hard. Just stab me with a screwdriver or something.” _

_ “No. You need to live with your mistakes. Especially when I find them hilarious.” _

_ Emma makes a noise of frustrated despair and bows her head as she continues the slow walk back to the barracks. _

* * *

The battlefield is further into enemy territory than Alyssa thought.

She drives the Jackal combat vehicle through the desert for hours until she gets to the first wreckage on the map, Lieutenant Paul Thompson’s plane. Alyssa stays in the vehicle, her breath catching as she looks out the window.

Shelby hadn’t been exaggerating. The wreckage looks more like the debris field from a small building that’s been pummeled by explosives, nothing but burning embers and small blackened pieces of metal.

“Oh, God,” Alyssa whispers. She waits for a moment, a silent respect for a dead man, then continues onward.

She gets out of the Jackal at the wreckage of Captain Faith Reed’s plane, walking as close as she can before the heat pushes her back. There’s a body there, she can see it, burnt beyond recognition. She buttons up her uniform more, trying to get protection to help her bear the heat, but she can’t get to it while the plane still burns.

Muttering a curse under her breath, Alyssa gets back in her vehicle. She’ll go to the other wreckages, then circle back for Reed when the fire has calmed.

Alyssa sits in the Jackal, resting her head back against the seat, her eyes closed. “Please, Em,” she whispers. “Please. Don’t do this to me.”

* * *

_ “Hey, Cadet.” _

_ Alyssa hides her smile before looking up at Emma, leaning against a railing above her. “Cadet. What do you want?” _

_ “What, I can’t just say hello?” _

_ “I’m not sure that’s something that you can do, no.” _

_ Emma snorts. “Yeah, yeah.” She swings under the railing and sits down on the ledge, her legs dangling next to Alyssa. “You ready to graduate?” _

_ “Of course. I’ve been ready.” _

_ “Do you think they’ll move us off-planet?” _

_ Alyssa pauses. “I’m not sure. I think they want some units here, so maybe not.” _

_ “I hope we stay,” Emma says softly. “I don’t want to get separated.” _

_ “You almost sound like you care, Nolan.” _

_ “Don’t be ridiculous. I just like teasing you.” _

_ “Oh really? I seem to recall you saying that I was pretty.” _

_ She looks up in time to see Emma’s face go bright red. “I-I… I didn’t know what I was saying.” _

_ “Klein said that you did not have a concussion.” _

_ “Klein should shut up.” Emma looks down at her hands, adorably grumpy. _

_ “If you have a crush on me-” _

_ “I don’t. Fuck off.” _

_ Alyssa just gives her a patient smile. _

_ “And even if I did, so what?” _

_ “I don’t know.” Alyssa shrugs. “Maybe if you did, you should do something about it.” _

_ “...Yeah?” _

_ “Yeah, I think so. After all, if we do get separated, we should at least know, right?” _

_ “I guess so.” Emma pauses, thoughtful. “I’ll think about it.” She flushes again. “Not… Not that there’s anything to think about.” _

_ “Oh, of course not. Heaven forbid.” _

* * *

She knows that the next plane is Emma’s.

When she gets out of the Jackal, fear settles over her. The plane isn’t disintegrated like Thompson’s, but it’s still a mangled wreck, small fires burning all around it.

Alyssa climbs up onto what’s left of the wing, pulling herself over to look into the cockpit, her stomach churning in nervous, scared anticipation.

There’s no body inside.

“Em,” she murmurs. “Please, Em. I can’t do this. I can’t do this unless I can take you home.”

She crawls over to the other side of the plane and drops down, cursing when a brief shift in the wind sets her sleeve on fire. She pats it out, feeling the heat already curling on her skin, then searches.

Nothing.

No body, no parachute, nothing.

As if General Emma Nolan simply didn’t exist.

“Maybe you… Maybe the plane started breaking apart in the air and you fell out?” Alyssa rubs the back of her hand across her brow. “I’ll find you. I promise.”

She goes back to the Jackal and gets in, and she’s about to start searching the area when the window of her Jackal suddenly explodes, showering her in glass.

_ “Fuck! _ What the-” Alyssa reaches for her handgun, but she freezes when a laser rifle pokes in through the window, resting against the side of her head.

“Well,” the UAC soldier behind the trigger growls. “If it isn’t the cavalry.”

* * *

_ Emma runs up the steps towards the transport bay. “I’m going to be late,” she mutters. “Goddammit, I’m going to be too late.” _

_ She jumps the cargo check with a quick apology shouted at Lieutenant Shields, then continues her sprint to the waiting area. _

_ The Army hasn’t left yet. _

_ Alyssa hasn’t left yet. _

_ Emma sees her, off to the side, chatting with Shelby, and she directs herself towards them. “Lieutenant Greene!” _

_ Alyssa looks up, and she actually smiles. _

_ Emma falters a little, the smile slowing her brain down, and before she can keep running something heavy hits her from behind and sends her to the floor. _

_ “Ow,” Emma mutters. She feels her arms get wrenched behind her back, and when she looks up she can’t see Alyssa anymore, just Shelby staring at her, looking stunned. _

_ “Boomer, what the hell are you doing?” _

_ Emma turns her head the other way and sees that Alyssa has closed the distance, now standing next to her in her pristine uniform, glaring at Lieutenant Nick Boomer as he puts handcuffs on Emma’s wrists. _

_ “I… What do you  _ mean _ what am I doing?” Nick asks, confused. “She jumped the gate and ran into the departure bay without clearance.” _

_ Alyssa gives a heavy sigh. “Okay. Can you just… Can I have a minute? You can have her back, I just want a minute before I leave.” _

_ Nick shrugs and steps back. _

_ Alyssa pulls Emma to her feet and leads her over near where Shelby is. “Gonzales, can you…?” _

_ “Pretend I don’t see anything, make sure no one else sees anything. Got it.” _

_ “Thanks.” _

_ “You’d do the same for me.” _

_ Alyssa places Emma behind a corner, partially hidden from view. “What the hell, Nolan? You came back here without clearance? They’ll put you in lockup for a week.” _

_ “I don’t care. I had to see you.” Emma takes in a breath, steeling herself. “Alyssa, I had to see you before you left. I had to tell you.” _

_ “Tell me what, Emma?” _

_ Emma swallows. “I’m in love with you.” _

_ Alyssa’s eyes widen, and she takes a small step back. _

_ “I know. That’s a stupid thing to say, and I’m sorry, but I-” _

_ “It’s not stupid. I just… I wasn’t expecting… I was expecting you to kiss me, or to say that you thought I was hot, or something like that. I wasn’t expecting you to love me.” _

_ “Oh.” Emma fidgets her hands a bit, wishing she could rub the back of her neck as she looks away. “Sorry.” _

_ “Don’t apologize, you idiot. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just a surprise.” Alyssa cups Emma’s face in her hands. “I… I don’t know how to love you when we might not see each other again.” _

_ “We will,” Emma says softly. “I know we will.” _

_ Alyssa pulls her forward, and Emma makes a surprised little squeak as Alyssa kisses her on the mouth. It’s short, just a quick press of lips, but it makes Emma’s heart leap. _

_ “You’d better be right, Lieutenant Nolan,” Alyssa whispers. _

_ “You usually hate it when I am.” _

_ Alyssa laughs. “Yeah, but in this case I guess I can give it to you.” She kisses Emma on the cheek, soft and gentle, then steps out and walks over to where her unit is gathering to board their ship. _

_ Emma steps out, watching her go. _

_ “Your timing sucks, Nolan,” Shelby says. _

_ “Yeah, I know. So does yours.” _

_ Shelby glances back at her. “It hurts a lot more to leave someone you’re falling in love with than it does to leave your best friend. But it still hurts.” _

_ “Yeah. I have a feeling you’d know a bit about both.” _

_ Shelby bites her lip. “Please don’t tell her.” _

_ “I won’t. That’s for you to do when you get back.” _

_ “...Yeah. I guess we’ll see.” Shelby pats Emma on the shoulder. “Good luck, Nolan.” _

_ “You too, Gonzales.” _

_ Shelby heads off after Alyssa. _

_ Nick lingers off to the side, waiting, and Emma expects him to retrieve her immediately. _

_ To her surprise, he lets her stand there, watching, as Alyssa boards the ship, and the ship disappears into space. _

* * *

Alyssa’s head thumps painfully as she comes to consciousness only to find herself in darkness. It takes her a moment to realize that she’s blindfolded, her hands bound behind her back as she’s dragged across a floor that sounds like concrete.

She turns her head, trying to twist out of the blindfold, and something hits her hard in her lower back.

“Good morning,” a smug voice says. “I was hoping that Daniels hadn’t killed you.”

“Fuck,” Alyssa groans. “Where am I?”

“You’re becoming a guest of the United Army of Corazo.”

“I’d like to decline. I forgot to bring wine.”

The man snorts. “Don’t worry. We forgive you.”

Alyssa’s hands are uncuffed, and she immediately takes a swing in the general direction of the closest person to her. The soldiers grab her arms and wrestle her into a wooden chair, tying her wrists down before removing the blindfold.

The man in front of her leans into her line of vision. “My name is Colonel Timothy Richards. Who are you?”

“Major Alyssa Violet. Army of Luza.”

He pulls a gun out of the holster on his belt and aims it at her head. “Try again.”

“I-I… What?”

“Your ‘ _ country’. _ Try again.”

Alyssa grits her teeth. “I don’t know what you want.”

He hits her across the face with the gun. “Yes, you do. Now say it.”

Alyssa stares at the wall, considering, before looking back at him through hard eyes. “Major Alyssa Violet. Army of the Rebellion.”

“There,” Richards says, putting the gun away. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” He snaps his fingers at one of his soldiers. “Put her in a cage.”

* * *

_ Major Alyssa Greene groans as she hits the ground, blood steadily seeping from a wound in her side. She’s been back on Corazo for ten minutes, and the planet is already trying to kill her. _

_ Her transport ship had probably been damaged on liftoff, a strange shake that rumbled through the engines and throughout the whole craft had been noticed by everyone. _

_ Just not noticed enough to stop it from crashing as it came in to land. _

_ Alyssa tries to drag herself away from the wreckage, yelping as she finds out just a half-second too late that her leg is broken. She turns her head to the side, trying to breathe, and when she looks back up she’s convinced that she’s hallucinating. _

_ Emma is leaning over her, serious, her hands gentle as she sets them on Alyssa’s shoulders as she calls for help on her radio. _

_ “You,” Alyssa mumbles. _

_ “Me.” _

_ “Can’t be you.” _

_ “Why’s that? You’re on my planet.” _

_ “Too cliche.” _

_ Emma laughs. “Tough shit, Greene.” Her eyes glance down to the rank pin on Alyssa’s collar. “Major? Well, look at you being all fancy. I’m still a captain.” _

_ “Probably just keep getting in trouble.” _

_ “I don’t have any pretty girls to chase after. How much trouble could I possibly get into?” Emma pulls off her uniform jacket, and Alyssa coughs at the sight of Emma Nolan in a plain black t-shirt that somehow perfectly shows off her arms. “Stay still. You’re hurt pretty bad.” _

_ “Sure,” Alyssa rasps as Emma presses the jacket against the wound in Alyssa’s torso. _

_ “How many people were on this ship? Do you know?” _

_ “Two-hundred plus crew, I think.” Alyssa moves her head, looking around. “Em. Em, Shelby was on this ship.” _

_ “Jesus,” Emma mumbles. She looks around, helpless, and pulls her radio out again. “Klein, do you copy?” _

_ “Yeah, Cap, what’s up?” _

_ “Gonzales was on this ship.” _

_ There’s an unbearably long silence. “Sh-Shelby?” _

_ “Yeah. Do what you need to do, Lieutenant.” _

_ Kaylee’s voice comes back much stronger, full of determination. “Roger that, Captain.” _

_ “She’ll find her,” Emma says as she clips her radio back on her belt. “You know she will.” _

_ Alyssa gives a small, achy nod. “She’d do anything.” _

_ Emma leans down and presses a kiss to Alyssa’s forehead. “Just like I would,” she whispers. _

* * *

Bright light blinds Alyssa suddenly as the blindfold is ripped off of her face moments before she’s uncuffed and shoved into a prison cell. She stumbles but doesn’t fall, turning around and reaching for the bars.

“You bastards-”

She curses and jumps back as her fingers touch the bars and get a hard, painful jolt, a zap of electricity that she wasn’t expecting.

“Okay,” she breathes. “Okay. Well. Fuck that, then.” She rubs at her eyes, trying to think, trying to reorient herself.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Alyssa’s heart ping-pongs down to her feet then up to her throat. She turns slowly, disbelieving, until she sees another prisoner at the very back of the cell. “Oh, God,” she whispers. She crosses the cell and drops to her knees. “Oh, God.”

Emma gives her a tired smile. “Hi, honey.”

* * *

_ “How’s your leg?” _

_ “It’s better. Thanks.” _

_ Emma runs a hand through her hair as she walks next to Alyssa near the back fence of the base. “Uhm. I guess we should talk.” _

_ “What about?” _

_ “I mean. Before you left, I kinda. Said that I love you.” _

_ “Did you now?” _

_ “Y… Yes?” Emma glances over at her, frowning, only to see a smirk on her face. “Ass.” _

_ Alyssa laughs. “So does that mean you’re still in love with me, Captain Nolan?” _

_ Emma swallows, watching Alyssa skip ahead of her, testing her healed leg. “Yes. I am.” _

_ “Good thing we’re not in the same force. I outrank you, hotshot. You know the UAC has rules about fraternization.” _

_ “Does that mean-” _

_ Alyssa turns, grabbing Emma by her collar and pulling her down to kiss her. “Yeah,” she murmurs against Emma’s lips. “It means.” _

_ Emma’s fingers twitch against Alyssa’s hips, needy and hungry. “I-I want… God, Alyssa, I’ve been thinking about you every day for six years.” _

_ “I’ve only been gone for four.” _

_ “What’s your point?” _

_ Alyssa grins, tightening her grip on Emma’s uniform. “I’m pretty sure it would be very much against the rules if we were to go into this weapons shed and hook up.” _

_ “Very much.” _

_ “I don’t really like the rules.” _

_ “Neither do I.” _

_ “Will you just agree with anything I say if it means I’ll keep kissing you?” _

_ Emma pauses. “Yeah, pretty much.” _

_ Alyssa leans forward, teasing her by nearly, but not quite, kissing her. “Good to know.” She laughs and steps backwards, pulling Emma obediently with her as they head for the weapons storage. _

* * *

“Emma,” Alyssa whispers, gently cupping Emma’s face in her hands. “Is… Is it…”

“It’s me, Lys,” Emma rasps.

She’s injured, Alyssa can tell. There’s pain in her hazel eyes that Alyssa can hardly bear to look at, but looking at the rest of her, at the gash across her jaw, the cuts and bruises on her arms, the shallow way she’s breathing as if her ribs are bruised or broken or both, the twist to her leg like  _ something _ is wrong, is almost worse.

“What are you doing here?” Emma asks.

“I went to… to find your body. I had to bring you home. Couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.”

Emma gives a small, strained laugh. “Idiot.”

Alyssa laughs through the tears falling on her cheeks. “Yeah, I know.”

“Their tech wave or whatever the fuck froze the other planes missed mine, but the gun didn’t. Tore me right out of the sky. I ejected but I hit the ground hard, and by the time I woke up I was already being dragged to one of their vehicles.”

“How did you get injured if you weren’t in the crash?”

She doesn’t answer, just glances at the bars, and Alyssa feels a surge of anger run through her. Instead of answering verbally, she fusses with Emma’s glasses as a distraction, taking them off of her face and cleaning them as well as she can with her shirt.

“Do they know who you are?” Emma asks suddenly.

“I’m wearing a rankless uniform. I told them I’m a major. Gave them the code name.”

“Good. Good. Thank God.”

“Why?”

Emma shakes her head and closes her eyes. “God. I hate that you’re here, but I’m glad I got to see you one last time.”

“What?” Alyssa inches even closer to her. “How badly are you hurt? Are you-”

“They know I’m a general, Lys,” Emma murmurs. “They’re executing me at dawn.”

* * *

_ “Did you hear that?” _

_ “Fuck,” Alyssa groans, putting a hand over her face. “I can’t hear anything. I can’t see anything. I’m in a void.” _

_ Emma snorts. “Okay, even I can admit that I’m not  _ that _ good.” _

_ “You shut your lying mouth right now, Major.” _

_ Emma smirks and pretends to lock her lips and throw away the key. _

_ “Wait, get that key back, what did you hear?” _

_ With a laugh, Emma lays down on top of Alyssa and idly kisses her neck. “Sounded like a warning siren, but I don’t hear it anymore.” _

_ “Maybe they were testing it?” _

_ “Mm. Maybe.” _

_ “Why don’t you test my stamina while they’re busy?” _

_ “Wow, that was awful.” _

_ “It was the best I could come up with on short notice.” _

_ “I-“ _

_ The door bursts open, and Shelby immediately cringes, turning around and shutting the door before leaning against it with her back to them. “Jesus, seriously? It’s the middle of the afternoon!” _

_ “Alyssa has work to do tonight,” Emma says casually, rolling off of her girlfriend. “We’re under the sheets, Gonzales.” _

_ “Yes. You’re right,” Shelby says in a monotone. “That makes it so much better.” _

_ “Why don’t you tell us what you need so we can all get out of this situation as quickly as possible?” _

_ “Right. Thanks, Greene. At least one of you has a brain.” _

_ Emma glares at the back of Shelby’s head. _

_ “Did you hear a warning tone?” _

_ “Yeah, Emma did.” _

_ “There were blips on the radar that nobody seemed concerned with, and then I was taken off my shift early. Then that siren… I feel like something’s coming, but they’re just not telling us.” _

_ “Why would they do that?” Emma asks. _

_ Shelby makes a frustrated noise. “I don’t know, Nolan, that’s why I came to you two. You’re the rank amongst us.” _

_ “Among the younger soldiers, sure, but the older ones don’t give a shit what we say.” Alyssa scoffs. “I’m half convinced that they only promote me and Emma so that they don’t need to give as many orders to the rest of you.” _

_ “Lys, let’s just go take a look, okay?” _

_ Alyssa turns to Emma and gives her a long look. “You’re nervous.” _

_ “I just… I have a bad feeling about this.” _

_ “Okay. Let’s get dressed and go, then.” _

* * *

Alyssa paces in the cell, mumbling to herself as she thinks.

“Maybe I could… No, there isn’t time to do that… We don’t know where we are, so… No, no, that won’t work… If I… No…”

“Alyssa.”

“But if the bars are electrified, then maybe…”

_ “Alyssa.” _

She pauses, turning to look at Emma. “Huh?”

“Would you please just come here?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Alyssa sits down next to Emma. “Are you okay?”

“With you here, yeah.” Emma reaches down carefully and pulls a thin knife out of her boot.

“You had your boot knife this whole time?”

“They didn’t search me very well because I’m a pilot. In training we were only taught to keep our handguns on us in case our planes went down. They didn’t think that we’d change things up.” Emma presses the handle of the knife into Alyssa’s palm. “Hold onto that.”

“Why wouldn’t you keep it?”

“Just. Please.”

“But we can probably-”

“Alyssa,” Emma interrupts.  _ “Please. _ Please. I don’t want to spend all night on something we both know is hopeless. My ribs are cracked and my knee is broken. You’d never get us both out.”

“But…” Alyssa grips Emma’s shirt. “Em,” she whispers. “I can’t… I had almost started to accept that you… But now you’re here, and I can’t just…”

Emma kisses her on the forehead and rests her head on Alyssa’s shoulder. “I know,” she murmurs. “I  _ know, _ Lys. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But please, just… I don’t want to give up, you know I don’t, but if I’m going to have to die I’d rather spend my last night cuddled up here with you.”

Alyssa puts the knife in the pocket of her jacket and nods, putting her arm around Emma’s shoulders and moving in closer. “I love you.”

Emma gives a soft laugh. “I love you, too.”

* * *

_ Emma runs across the training yard towards the cadet barracks, her camo jacket not even fully buttoned. _

_ She’s not sure why the warning sirens aren’t working, why the senior officers aren’t concerned, but she has to warn the students. _

_ She’s nearly at the buildings when she vaguely sees someone step into the corner of her vision, and she’s hit hard in the stomach. _

_ The blow knocks the air out of her and sends her flying into the dust and dirt, hard enough to bruise and scrape, and she groans in pain as a boot pushes at her hip to flip her onto her back. _

_ “Colonel Rand,” Emma says weakly. “What are you doing?” _

_ The colonel sneers down at her, pressing his boot down against her ribs. “You just can’t leave things alone, can you, Major Nolan?” _

_ “There’s missiles,” Emma breathes, whimpering as the colonel pushes down harder. “The cadets. They have to be warned.” _

_ “No, I don’t think so.” _

_ “What?” _

_ Rand sighs. “When’s the last time you saw a real fight, Major? Have you  _ ever _ seen a real fight? Of course not. There’s nothing to fight out here. We’re a military with no enemy. But Ment?” He points at the sky, at the pinkish-red planet closest to them in this solar system. “They have their own army. We can start a war if we make it look like they attacked us. All we have to sacrifice is two little barracks of cadets.” _

_ Emma pales. “They’re kids.” _

_ “They’re all over seventeen, and they’re in the Air Force and Army. Don’t be such a coward, Nolan.” He presses his boot down harder, and Emma yells as she feels her ribs start to bruise. “It would be a lot better for you if you obeyed.” _

_ “Jesus.” Emma gasps in a breath, closing her eyes and resting her head back. “Fuck you, Colonel.” _

_ “It’s General now, actually. Another unfortunate casualty of war. General Fawcett didn’t see the benefit in our plan.” _

_ “Our… The senior officers,” Emma murmurs. “You’re all in on it.” _

_ “Yes.” Rand takes his handgun off of his belt and aims it at Emma’s head. “It’s a shame that you can’t see the benefit, either.” _

_ Before he can fire, he’s knocked aside by a well-timed tackle, and Alyssa wrestles him to the ground. Emma scrambles to her feet and kicks him hard in the face to knock him out. _

_ “Fuck,” Alyssa gasps as Emma helps her up. “Fuck, Em, what the hell was that? Was Colonel Rand seriously just about to  _ shoot _ you?” _

_ “They’re going to kill the cadets. They’re going to kill them all to start a war with Ment.” _

_ “Who’s ‘they’?” _

_ “The senior officers.” Emma rests a hand on her side, wincing in pain. “Lys, we have to get the cadets out.” _

_ “And do what? If the older officers are all in on it, what the fuck are  _ we _ supposed to do?” _

_ Emma looks up at the sky, watching for any sign of incoming missiles. “Clear the barracks. Gather the cadets in the transport bay. I’ll get the other junior officers.” _

_ Alyssa’s eyes widen. “We’re leaving?” _

_ “We’d never get off-planet, but we can at least get away from the academy. If you get there first, start destroying any tracking devices in the ground vehicles. We’re going to take them all. Do you remember that old base we found on the other side of the planet?” _

_ “Yeah, I think it was where the academy was set up years ago before they moved it here.” _

_ “We’re going there until we can figure out what to do.” _

_ “Em… They’ll kill us for this.” _

_ “I know.” Emma gives her a strained smile. “But I have a feeling that they were going to kill us either way. Might as well fight them for it, right?” _

_ Alyssa laughs and nods. “Might as well.” She gives Emma a quick kiss, then runs for the barracks. _

* * *

Alyssa doesn’t fight as the UAC soldiers drag her, blindfolded, back to the room she had been placed in when she first arrived.

She’s tied down to the chair again before she’s allowed to see, and she rolls her eyes when Richards stands in front of her. “Can I help you?”

“Where is the rebel base?”

“Excuse me?” Alyssa asks, watching as the other soldiers wander out of the room, clearly bored with what to them is probably a standard process.

“We know where you’ve established your border, but your planes patrol so frequently that we have not been able to successfully complete a full flyover that shows where your base is. Where is it?”

“Have you checked your mom’s house?”

Richards gives her a tired look, and Alyssa just shrugs.

“Your time with us doesn’t need to be unpleasant, Major. We can be gracious hosts. You were led astray by the junior officers at the time. We aren’t unreasonable.”

Richards turns around, and Alyssa slowly slips Emma’s boot knife out of her sleeve, holding it under her wrist as she carefully cuts away at one of her bindings.

“The officer I was sharing a cell with. She said you’re executing her this morning.”

“Yes. You don’t need to share her fate. Just tell me where the base is.”

“How unfriendly are you going to get when I don’t tell you?”

Richards laughs. “You don’t want to find out how unfriendly I can get.”

“Hm. I don’t think I’m interested.”

“Excellent. So you’ll cooperate.”

“Nah.”

“What do you-” Richards turns around as Alyssa lifts her right hand free from the chair, twirling the knife around in her hand and driving it up into his throat before he can even react.

She kicks him away from her, then quickly cuts the binding off of her left wrist and takes the gun off of the colonel’s belt. “Okay,” Alyssa says, wiping the blood off of her knife before sliding it into the empty sheath in her boot. “Time to get out of here.”

* * *

_ The group of vehicles gets out to the middle of the desert before Alyssa pats Emma on the leg. “We should stop and talk to them.” _

_ Emma nods, speeding up a bit to get ahead of the crowd, then pulling their vehicle to a stop at an angle. The caravan behind them slows to a stop, and Alyssa climbs up onto the roof, pulling the radio with her. _

_ “Hey,” she yells across to Kaylee, leaning out of the Jackal she’s in with Shelby. “Is this secure if I just broadcast out of the local speakers?” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ “Good.” Alyssa runs a hand through her hair and sits down on the roof, watching as most of the junior officers and cadets get out of their commandeered vehicles. She glances down at Emma, pulling courage from the look in her eyes, then lifts the radio to her lips. _

_ “Look, I’m not going to tell you that there’s some big plan here. I’d be lying to you, and after the shit the senior officers just pulled, lying is the last thing I want to do. Here’s the truth. They want war. They want a fight with an innocent planet, and they want to use the rest of us as sacrificial lambs to get it. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sign on to be bait. If they want a fight, they can have one. And if they want us to die, they can come and kill us like soldiers, not cowards. We can’t get off this planet. They’d shoot us down before we got beyond the atmosphere, and I know you all know that. But maybe, just maybe, we can take a stand for ourselves.” _

_ Shelby jumps up onto the hood of her Jackal and looks back at the other soldiers, then turns back towards Alyssa and Emma. “Generals,” she says with a slow smile. “We’re with you.” _

_ Alyssa’s eyes widen, and she looks down at Emma. _

_ Emma climbs up onto the roof with her and takes the radio. “If that’s what you want from us, we’ll discuss it when we’re at our new home. All of us. Officers and cadets. If you’re willing to follow us, we’ll lead you. Cadets, I know you’re not going to get all of the training you deserve, but look to the officers around you. We’ll make sure that you get as best as we can give. Officers, look out for them. They’ll need whatever experience you can offer. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to do it as a team.” She presses a kiss to Alyssa’s temple and hands the radio back to her, then gets back into their vehicle. _

_ “Okay,” Alyssa says, quieter. “Troops. Let’s keep moving.” _

* * *

Emma grits her teeth as she’s dropped onto hard cement.

“Leave us,” a soft voice says.

“You’re prepping her to get shot, Doc. She doesn’t need a checkup.”

There’s a long, icy pause. “She is currently under my supervision, and I don’t want to be hovered over.  _ Leave us.” _

The soldier scoffs, but after a moment Emma hears the sound of a door opening and closing.

A surprisingly gentle hand settles against her back. “I promise that this won’t be as bad as they might want to make it.”

Emma turns her head and looks up. The woman kneeling next to her doesn’t seem like a soldier despite her uniform, her eyes sad and sympathetic. “Who are you?” Emma asks, her voice hoarse.

“I’m the doctor at this base.” She takes a syringe out of her pocket and pulls the cap off of it, and Emma reacts on instinct, cringing away from her. “No, no, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Her movement sends pain crackling through her from her ribs, and Emma slumps onto her back, panting. The woman pushes her t-shirt up a bit, just enough to show skin, and Emma feels a small pinch before coldness floods through her veins.

She takes in a sharp breath. “What… What did you…”

“It’s okay. Relax. It’s just a painkiller.” The woman brushes some of Emma’s hair off of her forehead before recapping the syringe and putting it back in her pocket. “If you can’t stand, they’ll tie you down like some rabid dog. There’s no dignity in that. At the very least, you deserve your dignity.”

The woman helps her to her feet, and Emma finds that she’s right. It’s much easier to stand even with her broken bones with the painkillers seeping through her. She relaxes, as much as she can, as the woman gently pulls her hands behind her back and handcuffs her to the metal bar behind her.

“I don’t understand,” Emma murmurs. “Why would you give a shit?”

“You’re so young. You’re always so young.” The woman finishes what she’s doing and steps back in front of her, and Emma notices something else in her eyes - the dullness of someone who’s haunted. “There’s been too many, and none of them care about who you are or who you were.”

She takes out a stethoscope and sets it against Emma’s chest, moving it around until she finds Emma’s heart.

Emma swallows when she takes a small paper target out of her other pocket and pins it to Emma’s shirt, just above her heart. “What?” she jokes in a strained voice. “Your men can’t aim?”

The doctor doesn’t look at her. “If there’s a target, they’ll shoot at it. I can’t prevent them from killing you, but I can keep you from suffering.”

“I understand,” Emma says quietly.

The doctor sets a shaking hand on Emma’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Doctor. I’m not.”

There’s nearly a smile on the doctor’s lips as she nods, then walks over to the door and leaves.

The soldier from before walks back in along with four others, and Emma looks him in the eye as he says, almost smug, “Any last words,  _ General?” _

“You’re not worth them.”

It seems to startle him, like he was expecting something more from her, and he glares at her as he puts a black hood over her head.

The world becomes muffled, hot and stifling and dark.

She wants to be afraid, but also doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction.

She hears clicking, the sound of traditional rifles being loaded, and realizes what the doctor meant about targets.

Five shots from laser rifles would kill almost immediately no matter where in the torso they hit. But five  _ bullets _ in the torso that don’t hit something major could make her die slowly.

Her air suddenly feels a lot thicker.

She swallows, leaning back a bit to grip the bar behind her for support.

Then she hears gunfire.

She doesn’t feel pain, but panic makes her body jerk at the sound, and she collapses awkwardly with her hands still bound.

“Emma?  _ Emma!” _

The hood is yanked off of her head, and Alyssa is in front of her, looking terrified, patting at her body to check for a bulletwound.

“I didn’t get hit,” Emma mumbles. She glances beyond Alyssa’s shoulder and sees the firing squad, all on the floor, shot. “I didn’t get hit. Just scared the fuck out of me.”

Alyssa sighs heavily in relief, resting her forehead on Emma’s shoulder. Emma can hear a sob in her voice as she says, “We have to get out of here. One of those soldiers probably has handcuff keys. I’ll get them, and then we have to go.”

“You know,” Emma says mildly, “I told you not to worry about me.”

Alyssa gives a dry laugh. “After this, Nolan, I’m not going to do anything  _ but _ worry about you.”

* * *

_ “Gonzales. Report.” _

_ Shelby runs a hand through her hair as she stands next to Alyssa. “One of the vehicles we stole from the academy actually had two planes in the back. There are a few old abandoned pieces of planes left around here that Ka- uh, that Klein thinks she can piece together into other ones. We don’t have many bullets, and we won’t have much food. We’re going to need to get that old power facility running to see if the greenhouse can be reestablished. Setting this base back up isn’t impossible, but it’ll take work, and I think we’ll have to do some hits on the supplies going to the Harpies.” _

_ “The Harpies?” _

_ “Oh, uh, yeah, General Nolan started calling the UAC that, because they always harped on her about protecting your teammate and shit like that and then turned around and caused this.” _

_ Alyssa sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Tell General Nolan that we’re supposed to be taking this seriously.” _

_ Shelby smirks. “I’ll leave that to you.” _

_ “Of course you will.” Alyssa rolls her shoulders, stretching her back out. “Okay. See if you can figure out where and when the UAC will be getting some supply ships in, and what the best attack options will be. Bring Major Boomer and Major Shields in. I think they have some experience with ambush runs.” _

_ “Will do.” _

_ “Oh, and Shelby?” _

_ Shelby pauses and turns back around. “Yes, General?” _

_ “Do us all a favor and ask Kaylee out already.” _

_ Shelby flushes. “Is that an order, because there aren’t exactly any restaurants out here.” _

_ “It’s not an order, it’s a recommendation. And you’re smart. You can figure something out.” _

_ Shelby mutters something under her breath before clearly saying, “I’ll do what I can.” _

_ “Sure you will,” Alyssa laughs before turning and heading off to check on the rebuilding of the base computer system. _

* * *

“Neither of us is very good at sneaking,” Emma mutters as she follows Alyssa down a hallway, a stolen handgun in her grip. “How are we getting out of here?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Oh. Good.”

“Maybe we can-  _ Shit!” _

“Wait, don’t shoot!”

Emma bolts forward, getting in front of Alyssa as the doctor from before rounds the corner, freezing when she sees them.

“How did you…” The doctor looks at Alyssa and stops talking, pale.

“It doesn’t matter.” Emma glances over her shoulder at Alyssa and frowns when she sees that she’s gaping at the doctor, looking stunned. “Lys?”

“That’s not possible,” the doctor whispers. “They told me you were dead. General Rand told me that you were killed in a missile strike, then drug me out here to work for him before I’d even had time to…”

“He lied,” Alyssa says softly. “He lied about a lot of things.” She swallows. “What are you going to do now, Mom?”

Emma blinks. “You’re… You’re Alyssa’s…”

“Yes.” Doctor Greene sets her jaw. “What are you two trying to do?”

“Get out,” Emma says.

“Wait, Em, we can’t.”

“Huh?”

“That machine that took down your plane. It’s gotta be in here, right?”

“Shit,” Emma mumbles. “The transport bay. It’s the only area big enough to hold it. We’ll have to blow it up.”

Doctor Greene pales further. “You can’t just… There are a lot of soldiers here who weren’t here when the rebellion happened. When the soldiers above the two of you led you astray. You-”

“Mom,” Alyssa says quietly. “That’s not what happened. Have none of our messages been getting out? We’ve been trying to broadcast proof of what the UAC has been doing.”

“No. They’ve been blanketing the planet in a blocking signal. Nothing gets out unless it goes through the communications tower.”

Alyssa and Emma exchange a long look, an extended silent conversation.

“Doctor Greene, are the munitions still kept where they were three years ago?”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Good. Lys, you take the transport bay. I’ll take the communications tower.”

“Got it.”

“Alright then.” Emma takes a small step back and nods at Alyssa, opening the floor to her.

Alyssa swallows. “Mom. If you love me more than you care about the UAC, let us go. Don’t tell them what we’re doing. And if you’re tired of them, take a vehicle and leave. Drive out to where Emma’s plane went down. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out where that battlefield is. Wait there, and we’ll get you on our way home.”

“Alyssa,” Doctor Greene whispers. “This is crazy.”

“I know.” Alyssa gives her a thin smile. “This is what we do.”

She grabs Emma’s hand and pulls her away, leaving her mother standing in the hallway.

* * *

_ “Ow! Goddammit!” _

_ Kaylee laughs as she leans into the cockpit. “Come on, Em, you have to be gentle with her.” _

_ “Tell your monstrosity to be gentle with  _ me _. It shocks me every time I touch it.” _

_ “Emma, the P-26-N is a very delicate craft. She can sense when you’re stressed. Like a lover. Or a horse.” _

_ “Those are not two things that I want compared, Klein.” _

_ “So I can compare a plane to a lover or a plane to a horse, but I can’t overlap-” _

_ Emma sighs loudly. “Can I just try turning this thing on?” _

_ Kaylee smirks. “I mean…” _

_ “Please. Fuck off.” _

_ “I said I wouldn’t back when we were cadets. You’re not getting special privilege just because you’re a fancy general now.” _

_ Emma rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat. She pauses for a moment, thinking, then murmurs, “You know that Alyssa and I wouldn’t be able to do this without you and Shelby, right?” _

_ “Yeah, I know that.” _

_ “Can you just take the compliment?” _

_ “I did. If you’d like to continue, by all means…” _

_ Emma laughs and shakes her head. “You’re a real pain in my ass, Klein.” _

_ Kaylee grins. “I know that, too.” _

* * *

Alyssa crawls underneath a Jackal parked in the transport bay, watching a guard walk past her and up the steps to the front gate. She slides out and quietly opens the vehicle’s door, shifting it into a neutral gear and getting back out so that she can push it back to wait near the exit.

It’s not the greatest exit strategy she’s ever had, but it’s one that might work.

She takes the bag she stole from the munitions room off of her shoulder and carries it over to the huge vehicle on the other side of the bay, swallowing when she gets a good look at it.

“Jesus,” she whispers. “No wonder this thing destroyed our planes.”

Alyssa takes bomb sticks out of her bag and attaches them all around the vehicle at every point that looks potentially weak, then sets more onto every pillar in the transport bay. She rigs the detonator and slides it into her pocket, then lays down in the back of the Jackal, Emma’s knife in her hand just in case.

All she can do is wait.

* * *

_ Alyssa jumps up onto the platform of the mission control hub, taking a deep breath as she adjusts the jacket of her black and gray camouflage uniform, an old outfit that had been abandoned a decade ago but that they had taken on as their own. _

_ “General,” Shelby says, seated in one of the chairs near her. “The floor is yours.” _

_ Alyssa nods and swallows before speaking. “Listen up. I know that we’re still getting used to all of this, but we’re putting things together, slowly but surely. Colonel Gonzales has a list of supply ships coming into the UAC that we’re going to try to target and take for ourselves in the next few weeks. Colonel Klein has a map of where we’re going to draw our border. Our territory and theirs.” _

_ Captain Carrie Delgatto raises a hand. “What’s our territory called?” _

_ “I’m not sure. Any suggestions?” _

_ “How about Luza?” a young lieutenant, one of the newly-promoted cadets, says. _

_ “Luza?” _

_ “On Ment it means ‘blue’. The sand outside looks blue. It feels appropriate.” _

_ Alyssa grins. “I like it. Any objections?” _

_ The soldiers in front of her shake their heads. _

_ “Alright. Luza it is. I’ll need a mix of Air Force and Army to report to Colonel Gonzales, and I’ll need anybody who’s willing to put some physical work in to report to Colonel Klein. They’ll decide who and what they need, and then anyone left will stay to continue the work here. Dismissed.” _

* * *

Emma runs to the top of the communications tower, hoping that the barricade she put in front of the door behind her holds.

She is not as good at planning as Alyssa.

She runs onto the platform where the main control room is and lifts her gun, aiming it at the soldiers working there. “All of you. Out!”

They just stare at her.

Emma rolls her eyes and fires a shot into the ceiling.  _ “Out!” _

The soldiers run, heading for the emergency exit on the other side of the room.

Emma works quickly, setting bomb sticks on every terminal she can see, then she climbs the ladder to the signal dish on the roof and sets more there. She drops back down into the control room, and her leg gives out underneath her, fire splitting up her side.

_ “Fuck! _ Goddammit. Come on, you son of a bitch.”

She rolls onto her back, panting, throbbing pain in her chest. She sets the detonator and tries to push herself up onto her good leg, staggering as her vision blurs.

There’s a sound from the exit the soldiers left through, and she leans on one of the terminals for support as she lifts her gun wildly, paling when a few officers enter with laser rifles, followed closely by General Rand.

“Well,” Rand says quietly. “I never thought I’d see you again, Major Nolan.” He tilts his head to the side. “Ohh… Are  _ you _ the general Richards told me about?” He laughs loudly.  _ “You? _ A dumb kid who thought she’d join the Air Force to become some hotshot pilot? You’ve got to be the brawn of the operation. You’re certainly not the brain.”

“Are you going to stand here and insult me all day, Rand, or are you going to save us both some time and shoot me?”

“I’m not going to shoot you. And before you ask, my soldiers here aren’t going to, either. No, that’s too good for a traitor like you. I think I’ll take you out to that adorable border you and your friends protect, wait until your men show up expecting a fight, and then decide on a good way to slowly kill you right in front of them. That should be a good way to crush their morale, don’t you think?”

Emma smirks. “I think you forgot something, Rand.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m still holding a gun.”

Rand laughs. “You’re too weak to use it.”

Emma hears someone coming up the stairs behind her, and she glances quickly over her shoulder. Her eyes widen when she recognizes Doctor Greene, carrying one of the rifles from the firing squad. “I’m not,” Doctor Greene says quietly.

The soldiers all raise their guns, surprised, and Doctor Greene opens fire. Emma does as well, shooting at Rand, and she knows it makes contact before Doctor Greene grabs her by the back of her shirt and drags her down the stairs.

“Are the explosives set up?” Doctor Greene asks breathlessly, helping Emma down the steps.

“Yes.”

“Then  _ blow them.” _

Emma fumbles as she takes the detonator out of her pocket, but she presses the button before she drops it, and she hears the bomb sticks explode behind them.

Doctor Greene drags her out the door that had been barricaded before, and Emma stares at the soldiers in a heap around them.

“I… didn’t think that was something you’d do, Doctor,” Emma says slowly.

“They’ve made me help them kill a few dozen of you. At this point, I can stomach hurting a few of them,” the woman says, taking another syringe out of her pocket and pulling the cap off with her teeth. She pulls up Emma’s shirt and unceremoniously jabs the needle into her side.

“Fuck. Ow. Really?” Emma shivers as the same cold sensation from earlier shakes through her.

“I was going to go out to the spot Alyssa mentioned. But then I remembered that this would be wearing off soon. I knew you’d never get out in your condition.” Doctor Greene glances up at her. “I wouldn’t be a very good mother-in-law if I left you to die in here.”

Emma’s jaw tenses. “You… You know…”

“I noticed your rings earlier,” Doctor Greene says, gesturing at the black band on Emma’s ring finger before she tosses the syringe in a trash can. “They match. And I can see how Alyssa looks at you.”

Emma starts walking, a little slow and stiff at first, towards the transport bay, Doctor Greene at her side. “I’m not sure about the  _ law _ part. We didn’t get married until after we left the UAC. We just sort of… decided that we were.”

“Do you love her?”

“With every fiber of my being.”

“Then that’s more than good enough.”

Emma falls silent for several minutes, until she asks, “You’ve mentioned a few times now… Others that the UAC has…”

“Yes.”

“Who? How many? We’ve lost people before, but we do our best to recover the bodies, even beyond the border.”

“Some of them I don’t think are actually your people. Some I think are just younger officers transferred here that they decide must be spies.” Doctor Greene pauses. “Anyone they think is a colonel or general is executed as soon as they arrive. Majors and lieutenant colonels are interrogated for a week and then executed. Captains and lieutenants are interrogated, then shipped off to a prison in the south to work, or they’re executed, depending on what they say.”

Emma ducks her head as a group of soldiers sprints past her, heading for the burning communications tower behind them. “Christ. When we started this, I didn’t… I knew that they’d want us dead, but I didn’t think they’d kill us without trial even if they captured us.”

“I think you scare them,” Doctor Greene says as they enter the transport bay. “You have more power than you realize. People follow you. If you get the truth about what’s going on here out to other planets, the UAC won’t only have a few young officers who are more courage than sense to deal with. People will listen to you.”

“Good. Let’s make sure it happens, then.” Emma taps on the side of a Jackal and smirks when a knife blade is immediately pressed against her throat. “Hi, honey. I’m home.”

“Emma,” Alyssa breathes, sitting up and lowering the knife. “And… Mom…?”

“Long story. We have to go.”

Doctor Greene gets into the backseat of the Jackal as Alyssa climbs into the driver’s seat, and Emma hits the button to open the smaller transport bay door before jumping into the passenger’s seat.

“You’ll have to blow this place as soon as we’re out,” Emma says.

Alyssa grins and holds up the detonator. “With pleasure.”

Emma laughs. “Then drive, General Greene. Mission complete.”

* * *

_ “Don’t mind me while I just lay here and watch,” Alyssa says, sprawled on the bed while Emma starts to take her uniform off at the end of the day. _

_ Emma laughs. “I’ve been working with Kaylee on the planes all day. I’m grimy and sweaty and need a shower.” _

_ “What a wonderful coincidence. I need a shower, too.” _

_ “Oh, is that so?” _

_ “It is indeed so.” _

_ “Well…” Emma pulls her t-shirt off and climbs onto the bed, hovering over Alyssa with a grin. “I guess you won’t mind then if I just…” She leans down, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to Alyssa’s neck. _

_ Alyssa takes in a sharp breath and cards the fingers of one hand through Emma’s hair. “New plan. You make us both sweaty and then we both shower.” _

_ Emma laughs against her skin. “Man, I always do the work around here.” _

_ “Excuse me, I spent most of last night in between-” _

_ Emma interrupts her by kissing her. “I’m teasing you, babe.” _

_ Alyssa smiles up at her, their noses brushing against each other. “I love you.” _

_ “I love you, too.” Emma leans her weight on her elbow, a little off to Alyssa’s side. “But as much as you’re interested, you seem distracted, too. Are you okay?” _

_ “I am. Just… I don’t know. We did the right thing here, didn’t we?” _

_ Emma’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?” _

_ “I know it was the right thing to save the cadets. To refuse to be involved in a false war. But Em, sometimes I just… We don’t know what we’re doing. We’re not generals; we’re barely older than our lieutenants. Are we really prepared for this?” _

_ “No.” _

_ Alyssa blinks. “What?” _

_ “Of course we’re not prepared for this. But Lys, that’s what they’re banking on. They’re expecting us to be rebellious kids who can be brought to heel in a week. We’re better than that. We won’t  _ let _ ourselves become that. We might not have the experience or the equipment, but we’re not going to stand here and let them win. Is it the right call? I don’t know. But it’s the call we made, and it’s the one we’re going to stick with.” _

_ Alyssa’s eyes are glassy as she flips Emma onto her back, getting on top of her. _

_ “Uh…” _

_ “You’re right,” Alyssa murmurs, kissing Emma softly. “And do you know how hot you are when you pull off the good speeches?” _

_ “No, because I usually don’t.” _

_ Alyssa grins and starts to take off Emma’s pants. “I’ll show you.” _

* * *

“Holy shit. Oh, holy fucking shit.” Shelby stares at the Jackal as Alyssa helps Emma out of it. “Nolan, holy shit.”

“Is that all you can say, Gonzales?” Emma asks with a laugh.

_ “No fucking way!” _ Kaylee appears out of nowhere, tackling Emma so hard that she falls back against the vehicle.

Alyssa winces. “Kaylee, easy, take it easy, she hurt her ribs.”

“Right, sorry.” Kaylee lets Emma go, resting a steadying hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Fuck, Nolan, you scared the life out of me.”

“Nearly scared the life out of myself.” Emma winces and turns her head, looking at Doctor Greene as she gets out of the vehicle. “The painkillers are wearing off again.”

“I don’t have any more, unfortunately,” she says. “You need to lie down and get some rest.”

“Who’s the Harpy?” Shelby asks, looking at Doctor Greene through narrowed eyes.

“My mother,” Alyssa replies. She shakes her head at Shelby’s confused look. “Long story. Explain later. Kaylee, can you help her get Emma to the infirmary, and get them both some new clothes.”

“Roger that, General.”

As they hobble off, Alyssa sets a hand on Shelby’s shoulder. “A few things.”

“First,” Shelby says. “You actually did it, Greene. You actually fucking did it. You brought her back.”

“Well, I was expecting to bring back a body, but this works, too.”

“Next night we have a little bit of free time, we’re trying some of that moonshine Kevin made and you’re going to tell me about it.”

“I promise.” Alyssa takes in a breath. “We blew up the anti-aircraft weapon the UAC had.”

“Holy shit.”

“And their communications tower.”

“Holy shit.”

“So the block on signals getting off-planet should be gone, and we should be able to finally broadcast what the UAC has been doing.”

“Holy  _ shit.” _

“Shelby,” Alyssa says, irritated.

“Sorry. Continue.”

“A few of our pilots’ bodies are still out there. I got… distracted…”

“I’ll say,” Shelby mutters.

“Before I could get them out. I don’t know if they’re still there or if the UAC removed them, but I’d like a unit to go out and look. I want a full unit with air support. No chances. I got into a lot of trouble when I went there alone.”

“Got it.”

“And one more thing. Emma and my mother told me that there’s a prison south of the academy. We should find it. They might not all be our people, but anybody that the UAC considers an enemy? I’d like to see if we can make them a friend.”

Shelby nods. “Anything else you managed to do in three days?”

Alyssa squints. “God, has it only been three days?”

“Yep.”

“Nothing else, but I really need a shower and a nap.” Alyssa yawns. “Maybe I’ll take that nap in the infirmary. Pull up a chair next to Em.”

Shelby smiles. “I’ll get Velasquez to set up a cot for you. You’ll need a better night’s sleep than a chair.”

“Thank you, Colonel.”

Shelby gives a small, lazy salute. “Any time, General.”

* * *

_ Emma hops down out of her plane, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She pulls her helmet off, grinning, and catches Alyssa as she leaps at her. Emma laughs and spins her a few times before setting her down, kissing her. _

_ “You did it,” Alyssa says breathlessly, cupping her face in her hands. “You all did it.” _

_ “We did it,” Emma says with a grin. “First captured supply ship for the rebellion.” _

_ “The rebellion? I think you mean the Army of Luza, General,” Shelby teases, slapping Emma on the back as she passes her on the way to talk to Kaylee. _

_ “Right, right, my mistake.” Emma rests her forehead against Alyssa’s. “It won’t always be like this, and I know that, but starting off like this? Feeling everyone work together and succeed? I know that we can do this, Lys.” _

_ “I know that we can, too.” _

_ Emma glances around, then pulls Alyssa off to the side, away from the crowd growing near them. “I want to ask you something.” _

_ Alyssa’s brow furrows. “Is everything okay?” _

_ “Oh, everything’s great. I just. I had Kaylee make something for me a while ago, and they’ve been burning a hole in my pocket, and I feel so good right now that I can’t think of a better time to do this.” _

_ “O… kay.” _

_ Emma holds her hand out between them and opens her fist, and Alyssa gasps softly when she sees two black rings in her palm. _

_ “Marry me, Alyssa. I know that with the way things are, we can’t have a real wedding, or a legal ceremony, or whatever else we maybe could’ve had if we’d stayed in the UAC. But we have each other, and what we have is real. I could never do any of this without you, and I’d never want to try. I love you. Marry me.” _

_ Alyssa swallows and reaches out, picking up one of the rings. _

_ “That one’s mine, Greene.” _

_ Alyssa snorts out a laugh and leans forward, briefly resting her forehead on Emma’s shoulder. “You’re the worst.” _

_ “I know.” _

_ “Besides. This way I can put this one on you, and you can put mine on me.” _

_ Emma beams. “Yeah?” _

_ Alyssa mirrors her grin. “Absolutely.” _

_ Emma pulls her flight glove off and offers her hand to Alyssa, who slides the ring onto her finger. Then, carefully, Emma takes Alyssa’s hand and slides her ring onto Alyssa’s finger. _

_ “This is good enough for you,” Emma says softly. “Right?” _

_ “Em,” Alyssa murmurs, resting the palm of her left hand against Emma’s cheek. “I’m with you. I’m going to call myself your wife, laws be damned. Of course it’s good enough.” _

_ Emma leans forward and kisses her slowly. “Thank God,” she mumbles against Alyssa’s lips. “I really didn’t have a Plan B.” _

_ Alyssa laughs and hugs her tightly. “This is why I’m the one who makes the plans, darling.” _

_ “Hey. I made the ‘grab the cadets and run’ plan.” _

_ “Mhm. And had me figure out the rest of it from there.” _

_ “It worked, didn’t it?” Emma presses a kiss to Alyssa’s forehead. “We make a good team.” _

_ Alyssa smiles and takes Emma’s hand, tugging her away from the crowd. “We always will.” _


End file.
